CBE considers holding byelection to replace Taylor

Calgary’s public school board continues to contemplate calling a byelection to replace former trustee Sheila Taylor, who resigned from the board earlier this month to run in a provincial byelection. On Tuesday, Calgary Board of Education chair Joy Bowen-Eyre said trustees must decide between a byelection for Wards 11 and 13 or continue as a six-member board until the next general election in 2017.

calgaryherald

Updated: October 29, 2014

Sheila Taylor with her daughter after the concession speech at the Wildrose campaign headquarters in Calgary, on October 27, 2014.Crystal Schick / Calgary Herald

Calgary’s public school board continues to contemplate calling a byelection to replace former trustee Sheila Taylor, who resigned from the board earlier this month to run in a provincial byelection.

On Tuesday, Calgary Board of Education chair Joy Bowen-Eyre said trustees must decide between a byelection for Wards 11 and 13 or continue as a six-member board until the next general election in 2017.

“We continue to seek confirmation about costs and logistical issues, as well as seeking input from the public,” Bowen-Eyre said in a statement.

“We believe that a truly informed decision will be in the best interests of all of our students,” she added. “We will move forward as quickly as possible on this.”

According to Bowen-Eyre, the city’s returning officer said the earliest date for an election would be late February 2015.

The board cannot appoint a trustee to fill the vacant seat.

Taylor resigned from the CBE earlier this month to run for the Wildrose in the Calgary-West byelection.

While she received nearly 42 per cent of the vote in Calgary-West, Taylor ultimately lost to PC candidate Mike Ellis.

Following the defeat, Taylor said she planned to spend time with her family and take stock of her life before making any career decisions.

“My son has … been encouraging me to get a ‘normal person’ job,” she said Tuesday.

While her career trajectory remains unclear, Taylor remained adamant the CBE must hold a byelection for the now unrepresented Wards 11 and 13.

“There are thousands of parents in southwest Calgary and those parents need good representation,” she said. “So I support having a byelection, for sure.”

While Bowen-Eyre has suggested a byelection could cost $150,000, Taylor said that should not factor into the board’s decision.

“It’s always important to minimize cost,” Taylor said. “But at the end of the day, there is a cost to democracy, and it is worth it.”

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